1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing device of the type fixing a toner image carried on a recording medium with heat and pressure and an image forming apparatus including the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
A fixing device of the type described has customarily been included in an electrophotographic copier, printer, facsimile apparatus or similar image forming apparatus. A problem with this type of fixing device is that toner is apt to deposit on a fixing member and then deposit on a recording medium being conveyed via the fixing member, smearing the recording medium. In light of this, it is a common practice to coat a parting agent on the circumference of the fixing member.
Various systems have heretofore been proposed for coating a parting agent on the fixing member of the fixing device. One of the conventional systems includes a coating member held in contact with the fixing member and rotatable by following the rotation of the fixing member. In this system, a feeding member is held in contact with the coating member and rotatable by following the rotation of the coating member for thereby applying a parting agent to the coating member. Further, a holding member holding the parting agent is held in contact with the feeding member. The parting agent is therefore fed from the holding member to the fixing member via the feeding member and coating member.
The system described above has the following problem left unsolved. For example, when a recording medium jams a path inside the fixing device, the operator is expected to rotate the fixing member in a direction opposite to a direction assigned to fixation in order to remove the recording medium. At this instant, it is likely that impurities, including toner and paper dust and accumulated between the feeding member and the holding member, are conveyed to a nip between the feeding member and the coating member, obstructing stable feed of the parting agent to the fixing member. Further, such impurities are apt to damage the fixing member, feeding member, coating member and so forth due to friction.
Technologies relating to the present invention are disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-155492.